Something bad has happened to 9-year-old Amanda, and her toys— stuffed penguin Jonah; American Girl Doll Molly; trusted Diary; and newcomer Ugly, a weighted “emotional support” bunny— find their once-peaceful world thrown into darkness and chaos. A play about childhood, guns, and all the wounds we can’t see.
Soft Target
April 30, 2025 - June 8, 2025
An urgent and gorgeous world premiere of Soft Target will close the 10th Anniversary Season at DPT.
Meet The Cast
Sarah Clare Corporandy
Jen
SARAH CLARE CORPORANDY (Jen) An original founding member of DPT in 2015, Sarah Clare is a
Michigan (Ypsilanti) native, and after moving about the country to find the best places and ways to create
live theater, she found herself called back home to Detroit. After training in both theater and voice at Hope
College, she transitioned to the administrative end of art-making and received an MFA in arts
administration from Wayne State University’s Hilberry Theatre program. During that time, she worked with
companies such as Breathe Art Theatre Project, Barrington Stage Co., and New York Stage and Film.
Sarah Clare acted as Managing Director of Philadelphia’s Pig Iron Theatre Co. from 2008-2009, and for 13
years since she worked as Company Manager and Managing Director of Chautauqua Theatre Company.
During her time there, she was the line producer for the Chautauqua Institution’s inter-arts collaborations
The Romeo and Juliet Project and Go West!. From 2009-2021 she served on the faculty at Savannah
College of Art and Design. She has also taught at University of Kentucky and Wayne State University. In
the summer of 2020 she was the lead producer on the televised remounts of From Broadway to Obscurity
(Eric Gutman) and No Child… (Nilaja Sun), in collaboration with PBS stations in Buffalo, NY, and Detroit,
MI, and with Chautauqua Theater Co. In her role at DPT, she headed up the move to DPT’s new building,
leads strategic planning for the company, and shares artistic leadership with Sarah, Courtney, and
Dominique. She made a return to performing in DPT’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane in season 4.
David Johnson III
Jonah
DAVID JOHNSON III (Jonah) Making his Detroit Public Theatre debut, David Johnson III is an alumni of
The University of North Carolina School of The Arts, BADA: Midsummer in Oxford, and Mosaic Youth
Theater of Detroit. He would like to thank all his loved ones, teachers, and mentors who have supported
him on this journey. He is grateful to be back working in the city where he fell in love with theater.
Emma Kikue
Molly
EMMA KIKUE (Molly) is thrilled to be making her DPT debut with such a beautiful play and wonderful
group of people! TV/Film credits include: Blue Bloods, Love Life, The Sinner, Bull, Instinct, Elementary,
Madam Secretary, The Code, BrainDead, The Adults, and Josie & Jack. She has originated roles in world
premiere plays at Primary Stages, The Civillians, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Ma-Yi Theatre, Pan-Asian Rep,
The Hearth, and Actors Theater of Louisville/The Humana Festival. You can hear her in the audio play Song
of the Northwoods on Audible (also directed by Jaki Bradley!) and Symphony Space’s Selected Shorts,
broadcast on NPR.
Nya Mackenzie
Natalie
NYA MACKENZIE (Natalie) has been acting since joining Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit three years ago.
Since then she has learned so much about her love for theatre, film; specifically acting and writing. Nya is
really grateful to have Soft Target as her first industry acting job and is extremely excited for the
opportunity.
Alexander Pobutsky
Bunny
ALEXANDER POBUTSKY (Bunny) is really excited to be back at DPT, especially for this particular piece.
He can most recently be seen in the Oscar-winning American Fiction, Hulu/FX’s Justified: City Primeval (in
which for five episodes he played an Albanian from Hamtramck, his hometown!), The Storied Life of AJ
Fikry, and The Blacklist. Theater: Clyde’s (Detroit Public), Sweat (Detroit Repertory), Blue Man Group, Hir
(Apollinaire), This Is Our Youth (The Hive).
Cora Steiger
Amanda
CORA STEIGER (Amanda) is thrilled to be making her DPT debut. She is a 7th grader at Oxford Middle
School and loves being on stage. Her favorite past roles include Fun Home(Small Alison), Mary
Poppins(Jane Banks), Beauty and the Beast(Chip), The Miracle Worker(Helen Keller), Matilda the
Musical(Matilda), and A Christmas Story(The Encore Musical Theatre Company/Randy). Cora dreams of
performing on stage in NY one day. She would like to thank her family and friends for always supporting
her dreams. Her performance is dedicated to the victims and everyone affected by the Oxford High School
shooting.
Ashley Wickett
Di
ASHLEY WICKETT (Di) Ashley is thrilled to make her DPT debut! Education: BFA Theatre Performance:
The University of Evansville/MFA in Acting, The American Conservatory Theater. Credits: Meadowbrook,
Purple Rose Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theatre,
Livermore Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Pioneer Theatre Company. Staged readings
with The Shakespeare Project of Chicago, Barebones Theatre Productions, The New Harmony Project, 4 Shakespeare in Detroit and ACT. Ashley is a teacher/director with Next Step Broadway and works as an
audition coach with performers of all ages.
Meet The Creative Team
Emily Kazmarek
Playwright
EMILY KACZMAREK (Playwright) is a writer for theatre, TV, and film. Her work has been produced and
developed at theatres across the country, including 5th Avenue, Second Stage, American Conservatory,
WP, and others. Emily is the book writer of the original musicals AFTERWORDS and AFLOAT, and won a
Jonathan Larson Award in 2018. She has been in residence at New York Stage and Film, SPACE on Ryder
Farm, the O’Neill, the Hermitage, Goodspeed, and more. Emily’s TV credits include MONSTERLAND (Hulu),
THE STAIRCASE (HBO Max, nominated for a 2022 Writers Guild Award), and others, and she is currently a
Co-Executive Producer on a forthcoming Netflix show, alongside developing her own show for Peacock.
Emily is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America. This play is for all survivors of trauma, especially
children.
Jaki Bradley
Director
JAKI BRADLEY (Director) is a director for theater and film. She is currently directing All Nighter at MCC in
NYC, running through May 18. She has previously directed at Berkeley Repertory, NYTW, Ars Nova,
NYSAF, CTG, Denver Center and Arena Stage, among others. In film, she has written for Netflix,
Paramount, AGBO and FX, directed music videos and the short films Spa Day, The Big Ask, and Chow,
and is preparing her feature directorial debut, The One. Jaki is a Fulbright Scholar and a proud member of
SDC and WGA.
Amanda Gronich
Playwright
Amanda Gronich is an Emmy-nominated writer who has developed and
scripted dozens of hours of television programming for networks including National Geographic Channel, 3Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, WEtv, Travel Channel, Science Channel and Fine Living. Over a
ten-year career, Amanda became the Supervising Senior Writer at Hoff Productions and worked as a lead
series writer at National Geographic Television. Prior to her work in television, Amanda trained at NYU and
performed as an actor in both theater and film. She also became a charter member of Tectonic Theater
Project, where she directed the company’s Toronto production of Moisés Kaufman’s Gross Indecency: The
Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Amanda was a member of the original group of theater artists who traveled to
Wyoming and co-created The Laramie Project. Currently, Amanda teaches graduate-school non-fiction
storytelling at City College New York and works as a dramaturg and development consultant.
